In regard to an article I wrote on The New King
James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, I mentioned that there were some confusing
verses. I certainly didn't look all through the book to see what I could find
but I ran across a verse that, to me, was confusing, so I thought it might be
well to look at it with the idea in mind that the translations are the works of
men therefore they might be influenced by their own ideas of by some
theological philosophy. The same thing could possibly be said about all the
other translations. Inconsistencies could be found in any of them. So, I'll
just say as I have said on other occasions: as you study, take time to compare
versions especially in your study of controversial passages.

The verse I have in mind for this article is
Romans 4:25. Let's look at the passage in Romans 4:25 from the NKJV. "Who
was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our
justification."

What I am concerned about is the word
"because." I am not too concerned about the first time the word is
used although I think a better word could have been used. It is saying, we have
sinned, we have offended God, so a sacrificial offering had to be made on our
behalf so he was delivered up because we had sinned or offended. But the second
because seems to be out of place. "He was raised because of our
justification." He was raised because we were justified? Not so but this
verse says he was raised because we are justified or because our sins have been
remitted. Not so. He was raised in order that we might be justified, not
because we were already justified. Let's look at some other translations.

Here's the way it is in the NKJV: "Who was
delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our
justification."

Now look at the KJV: "Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

It's this way in the New American Standard
Version: "He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was
raised because of our justification."

But here's the way it is in the old American
Standard of 1901: "Who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised
for our justification."

The New Revised Version puts it this way:
"Who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our
justification."

And the New International Version reads like
this: "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised for our
iniquities."

So, the consensus of the translations and the
only sensible rendering is that the word should be "for," instead of
"because."